Internet communications between wireless base stations and service nodes

ABSTRACT

A communication system includes a base station and a service node. The service node communicates over the Internet. The base station establishes Internet connectivity over a communication link. The base station registers with the service node over the communication link and the Internet, and the service node validates the base station during registration. The base station and service node establish a tunnel over the communication link and the Internet. The base station exchanges user communications with wireless communication devices in a wireless format. The base station and service node exchange the user communications over the tunnel. The service node processes the user communications to provide a communication service to the wireless communication devices.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is related to the field of communications, and inparticular, to the use of the Internet for communications betweenwireless base stations and service nodes, such as mobile switchingcenters.

2. Description of the Prior Art

For wireless communications, end-users operate wireless communicationdevices that exchange user communications in a wireless communicationformat with a base station. The base station then exchanges the usercommunications in a non-wireless format with a service node, such as amobile switching center. The service node processes the usercommunications to provide a communication service, such as telephony orInternet access.

Unfortunately, Time Division Multiplex (TDM) links, such as DS1 or DS3links, are typically used to exchange the user communications betweenthe base station and the service node. DS1 and DS3 links are relativelyexpensive. Not only are these TDM links expensive, but they can take toomuch time to establish. In a given area, there may not be a robust setof competing service providers that provide DS3 or DS1 links, whichusually results in poor service. In addition, these TDM links may noteven be available in some areas.

The demand for wireless communications is growing with respect tocoverage and capacity. Newer data applications, such as web browsing andmusic downloads, have become popular features for wirelesscommunications devices. The newer data applications typically have anasymmetrical traffic pattern where more bandwidth is used from theservice node to the base station than from the base station to theservice node. For example, an end-user request to download a songtypically uses far less bandwidth than the bandwidth used to actuallydownload the song to the end-user.

Internet access has become relatively low-cost and ubiquitous. Manyservice providers compete to provide low-cost Internet access tonumerous and wide-ranging service areas. Examples of internet accesstechnologies include asymmetrical digital subscriber line, DOCSIS, IEEE802.11, IEEE 802.16, and broadband over power line.

Unfortunately, this low-cost and ubiquitous Internet access has not beeneffectively implemented to exchange user communications between basestations and service nodes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Examples of the invention include a communication system comprising abase station and a service node. The service node is configured tocommunicate over the Internet. The base station is configured toestablish Internet connectivity over a communication link to theInternet and register with the service node over the communication linkand the Internet. The base station is configured to establish a tunnelwith the service node over the communication link and the Internet. Thebase station is configured to exchange user communications with wirelesscommunication devices in a wireless format. The base station isconfigured to exchange the user communications with the service nodeover the tunnel. The service node is configured to validate the basestation during registration. The service node is configured to establishthe tunnel with the base station over the communication link and theInternet. The service node is configured to exchange the usercommunications with the base station over the tunnel. The service nodeis configured to process the user communications to provide acommunication service to the wireless communication devices.

In some examples of the invention, the communication link isasymmetrical to provide more bandwidth from the service node to the basestation than from the base station to the service node.

In some examples of the invention, the communication link comprises anAsymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) link, DOCSIS link, 802.11link, 802.16 link, or Broadband over Power Line (BPL) link.

In some examples of the invention, the base station is omni-directionaland has no sectors.

In some examples of the invention, the base station has a maximumcapacity of 20 simultaneous wireless communication devices.

In some examples of the invention, the base station has a maximum ofthree RF receive channels and three RF transmit channels.

In some examples of the invention, the base station is configured toestablish the Internet connectivity by logging-in to an Internet serviceprovider.

In some examples of the invention, the base station is configured toestablish the Internet connectivity, register with the service node, andestablish the tunnel based on a predetermined schedule, and tode-establish the Internet connectivity, de-register with the servicenode, and de-establish the tunnel based on the predetermined schedule.

In some examples of the invention, the base station is configured toestablish the Internet connectivity, register with the service node, andestablish the tunnel in response to end-user activity, and tode-establish the Internet connectivity, de-register with the servicenode, and de-establish the tunnel based on a lack of the end-useractivity.

In some examples of the invention, the base station is portable.

In some examples of the invention, the service node comprises a mobileswitching center.

Examples of the invention include a method of operating a communicationsystem. The method comprises: establishing Internet connectivity betweena base station and the Internet over a communication link, wherein aservice node is configured to communicate over the Internet; registeringthe base station with the service node over the communication link andthe Internet to validate the base station; establishing a tunnel betweenthe base station and the service node over the communication link andthe Internet; exchanging user communications between the base stationand wireless communication devices in a wireless format; exchanging theuser communications between the base station and the service node overthe tunnel; and processing the user communications in the service nodeto provide a communication service to the wireless communicationdevices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The same reference number represents the same element on all drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates communication system 100 in an example of theinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates communication system 200 in an example of theinvention.

FIG. 3 illustrates communication system 300 in an example of theinvention.

FIG. 4 illustrates communication system 300 in an example of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following description and associated figures depict specificexamples to teach those skilled in the art how to make and use the bestmode of the invention. For the purpose of teaching inventive principles,some conventional aspects have been simplified or omitted. Those skilledin the art will appreciate variations from these examples that fallwithin the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the features described below can be combined in variousways to form multiple variations of the invention. As a result, theinvention is not limited to the specific examples described below, butonly by the claims and their equivalents.

Example #1

FIG. 1 illustrates communication system 100 in an example of theinvention. Communication system 100 includes base stations 101-103,Internet interfaces 104-106, and service node 107. Base station 101establishes Internet connectivity over communication link 114 toInternet interface 104. In some variations, Internet interface 104represents an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and base station 101establishes the Internet connectivity by logging-on to the ISP overcommunication link 114. Internet interface 104 and service node 107 areconfigured to communicate over the Internet. Thus, base station 101 andservice node 107 can communicate with one another over communicationlink 114 and the Internet.

In some variations, communication link 114 is asymmetrical to providemore bandwidth from service node 107 to base station 101 than from basestation 101 to service node 107. An asymmetric communication link isespecially suitable for data applications, such as Internet browsing ormusic downloads, where there is more traffic from service node 107 tobase station 101 than from base station 101 to service node 107.Communication link 114 could be an Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line(ADSL) link, DOCSIS link, 802.11 link (Wi-Fi), 802.16 link (Wi-Max),Broadband over Power Line (BPL) link, or some other form of Internetaccess link.

Base station 101 registers with service node 107 over communication link114 and the Internet. During registration, service node 107 validatesbase station 101. Validation includes establishing that the entityattempting to register is who they say they are, and that that entity isentitled to register. In some variations, base station 101 and servicenode 107 are each be programmed with a secret user name and access codefor base station 101. Service node 107 validates base station 101 byobtaining the user name and secret access code from base station 101during registration, and then checking the user name and secret accesscode in a validation database to ensure that the user name and secretaccess code are associated with base station 101, and that base station101 is entitled to register. Service node 107 will deny service to basestation 101 if validation fails.

Base station 101 and service node 107 establish a communication tunnelbetween one another over communication link 114 and the Internet.Typically, the tunnel would be a secure Internet Protocol (IP) tunnel.The security could be provided through encryption or some other means.Base station 101 and service node 107 could include conventionalInternet utilities, such as Internet ports, firewalls, and Internetaccess software.

Base station 101 includes an antenna and exchanges user communicationsin a wireless format with wireless communication devices over wirelesslinks 111. The wireless format could be Code Division Multiple Access(CDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), IEEE 802.11(Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (Wi-Max), free-space laser, E-Band, or some otherwireless communication format. Base station 101 exchanges the usercommunications with service node 107 over the tunnel. Service node 107processes the user communications to provide a communication service tothe wireless communication devices. Examples of communication servicesinclude telephony, instant messaging, push-to-talk, Internet access,video downloads, and audio downloads, although there could bealternative communication services. In some variations, service node 107comprises a mobile switching center.

In some variations, base station 101 and service node 107 may notmaintain permanent Internet connectivity, registration, and/ortunneling. Base station 101 and/or service node 107 could establish andde-establish the Internet connectivity based on a predeterminedschedule. For example, base station 101 could establish the Internetconnectivity on Monday morning at 7:00 and de-establish the Internetconnectivity on Friday evening at 6:00. Numerous and more complexschedules could be used. Likewise, base station 101 and/or service node107 could register and de-register base station 101 based on apredetermined schedule. Base station 101 and/or service node 107 couldestablish and de-establish the tunnel based on a predetermined schedule.These predetermined schedules for Internet connectivity, registration,and tunneling could the same or different. In some variations, basestation 101 and/or service node 107 could establish the Internetconnectivity, register with the service node, and establish the tunnelbased on a predetermined schedule, and then de-establish the Internetconnectivity, de-register with the service node, and de-establish thetunnel based on the predetermined schedule. Thus, based on apredetermined schedule, base station 101 and service node 107 cantransition between a disconnected state where they have no interactionwith one another, and a connected state where they interact to deliverthe communication service to the wireless communication devices.

In some variations, base station 101 could establish and de-establishthe Internet connectivity based on end-user activity. For example, basestation could establish the Internet connectivity in response to aservice request from one of the wireless communication devices andde-establish the Internet connectivity after a time period elapses witha lack of other service requests from the wireless communicationdevices. Numerous and more complex end-user activity-based controlschemes could be used. Likewise, base station 101 could register andde-register with service node 107 based on end-user activity, or basestation 101 could establish and de-establish the tunnel based onend-user activity. These end-user activity-based control schemes forInternet connectivity, registration, and tunneling could the same ordifferent. In some variations, base station 101 could establish theInternet connectivity, register with service node 107, and establish thetunnel based on an end-user activity control scheme, and thende-establish the Internet connectivity, de-register with service node107, and de-establish the tunnel based on the same end-user activitycontrol scheme. Thus, based on end-user activity, base station 101 andservice node 107 can transition between a disconnected state where theyhave no interaction with one another, and a connected state where theyinteract to deliver the communication service to the wirelesscommunication devices. Other techniques to detect end-user activitycould be used, such as motion detectors, human proximity detectors, oreven a simple on-off switch that the end-users may control manually.

A remote control system could transfer control messages to base station101 and service node 107 to direct these systems to establish andde-establish Internet connectivity, registration, and tunneling. Theremote control could be based on a predetermined schedule, expectedend-user activity, or some other factor.

In some variations, base station 101 is relatively small, which allowsfor a relatively small bandwidth load on communication link 114. Basestation 101 may be omni-directional meaning the base station has nosectors. Base station 101 may have a maximum capacity of 20 simultaneouswireless communication devices. Base station 101 may have a maximum ofthree Radio Frequency (RF) receive channels and three RF transmitchannels.

Base stations 102 and 103 could be configured and operate as describedfor base station 101. Base station 102 could exchange usercommunications with wireless communication devices over wirelesscommunication links 112 and exchange the user communications withservice node 107 through a tunnel over communication link 115 and theInternet. Likewise, base station 103 could exchange user communicationswith wireless communication devices over wireless communication links113 and exchange the user communications with service node 107 through atunnel over communication link 116 and the Internet.

Note that service node 107 is capable of interacting with multiple basestations as described above. Service node can register, validate, andestablish tunnels to multiple base stations. Service node 107 may do sobased on differing schedules, end-user activity, or remote control.Thus, service node 107 can support a dynamically changing mix of basestations.

Example #2

FIG. 2 illustrates communication system 200 in an example of theinvention. Communication system 200 includes base station 201, ADSLmodem 202, Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) 203,central office 204, Internet routers 205-206, and Mobile SwitchingCenter (MSC) 207. Base station 201 is coupled to ADSL modem 202 bycommunication link 212. ADSL modem 202 is coupled to DSLAM 203 by ADSLlink 213. DSLAM 203 is coupled to Internet router 205 by IP link 214 andto central office 204 by Time Division Multiplex (TDM) link 217.Internet router 205 is coupled to Internet router 206 over IP link 215.Internet router 206 is coupled to MSC 207 by IP link 216. Communicationlinks 211-217 could be conventional.

Base station 201 establishes Internet connectivity to MSC 207 over acommunication link (comprised of links 212-213, modem 202, and DSLAM216) and the Internet (comprised of Internet routers 205-206 and links214-216). In some variations, Internet router 205 represents an ISP, andbase station 201 establishes the Internet connectivity by logging-on tothe ISP. MSC 207 and DSLAM 203 are configured to communicate over theInternet. Thus, base station 201 and MSC 207 can communicate with oneanother over the above described communication link and the Internet.

Base station 201 registers with MSC 207 over the communication link andthe Internet. During registration, MSC 207 validates base station 201 byestablishing that base station 201 is actually the entity attempting toregister, and that base station 201 is entitled to register. MSC 207will deny service to base station 201 if validation fails.

Base station 201 and MSC 207 establish a communication tunnel betweenone another over the communication link and the Internet. Typically, thetunnel would be a secure IP tunnel. The security could be providedthrough encryption or some other means. Base station 201 and MSC 207could include conventional Internet utilities, such as Internet ports,firewalls, and Internet access software.

Base station 201 exchanges user communications in a wireless format withthe wireless phones over wireless links 211. The wireless format couldbe CDMA, GSM, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, free-space laser, or some other wirelesscommunication format. Base station 201 exchanges the user communicationswith MSC 207 over the tunnel. MSC 207 processes the user communicationsto provide a communication service to the wireless phones. Examples ofcommunication services include telephony, instant messaging,push-to-talk, Internet access, video downloads, and audio downloads,although there could be alternative communication services.

In some variations, base station 201 may not maintain permanent Internetconnectivity, registration, and/or tunneling with MSC 207. Base station201 and/or MSC 207 could establish and de-establish the Internetconnectivity based on a predetermined schedule. Likewise, base station201 and/or MSC 207 could register and de-register base station 201 basedon a predetermined schedule. Base station 201 and/or MSC 207 couldestablish and de-establish the tunnel based on a predetermined schedule.These predetermined schedules for Internet connectivity, registration,and tunneling could be the same or different. In some variations, basestation 201 and/or MSC 207 could establish the Internet connectivity,register, and establish the tunnel based on a predetermined schedule,and then de-establish the Internet connectivity, de-register, andde-establish the tunnel based on the predetermined schedule. Thus, basedon a predetermined schedule, base station 201 and MSC 207 can transitionbetween a disconnected state where they have no interaction with oneanother, and a connected state where they interact to deliver thecommunication service to the wireless phones.

In some variations, base station 201 could establish and de-establishthe Internet connectivity based on end-user activity. Likewise, basestation 201 could register and de-register with MSC 207 based onend-user activity, or base station 201 could establish and de-establishthe tunnel based on end-user activity. These end-user activity-basedcontrol schemes for Internet connectivity, registration, and tunnelingcould the same or different. In some variations, base station 101 couldestablish the Internet connectivity, register with MSC 207, andestablish the tunnel based on an end-user activity control scheme, andthen de-establish the Internet connectivity, de-register with theservice node, and de-establish the tunnel based on the same end-useractivity control scheme. Based on end-user activity, base station 201and MSC 207 can transition between a disconnected state where they haveno interaction with one another, and a connected state where theyinteract to deliver the communication service to the wireless phones.Other techniques to detect end-user activity could be used, such asmotion detectors, human proximity detectors, or even a simple on-offswitch that the end-user may control manually.

A remote control system could transfer control messages to base station201 and MSC 207 to direct these systems to establish and de-establishInternet connectivity, registration, and tunneling. The remote controlcould be based on a predetermined schedule, expected end-user activity,or some other factor.

MSC 207 is capable of interacting with multiple additional base stations(not shown) in a similar manner. Thus, MSC 207 can register, validate,and establish tunnels to multiple base stations. MSC 207 may do so basedon differing schedules, end-user activity, or remote control. Thus, MSC207 can support a dynamically changing mix of base stations.

In some variations, base station 201 is relatively small, which allowsfor a relatively small bandwidth load on ADSL link 213. Base station 201may be omni-directional meaning the base station has no sectors. Basestation 201 may have a maximum capacity of 20 simultaneous wirelesscommunication devices. Base station 201 may have a maximum of threeRadio Frequency (RF) receive channels and three RF transmit channels.

Example #3

FIGS. 3-4 illustrate communication system 300 in an example of theinvention. Communication system 300 includes base station 301, Internetinterfaces 302-303, and service node 304. Internet interfaces 302-303and service node 304 communicates over the Internet. At location “A”,base station 301 establishes Internet connectivity with Internetinterface 302 over communication link 312. Base station 301 registerswith service node 304 over communication link 312 and the Internet.During registration, service node 304 validates base station 301. Basestation 301 and service node 304 establish a communication tunnelbetween one another over communication link 312 and the Internet. Basestation 301 exchanges user communications in a wireless format withwireless communication devices over wireless links 311. Base station 301and service node 304 exchange the user communications over the tunnel.Service node 304 processes the user communications to provide acommunication service to the wireless communication devices. In somevariations, service node 304 comprises an MSC.

Referring to FIG. 4, base station has been moved from location “A” tolocation “B” as indicated by the dashed lines. At location “B”, basestation 301 establishes Internet connectivity with Internet interface303 over communication link 314. Base station 301 re-registers withservice node 304 over communication link 314 and the Internet. Duringregistration, service node 304 re-validates base station 301. Basestation 301 and service node 304 establish a new communication tunnelbetween one another over communication link 314 and the Internet. Basestation 301 exchanges user communications in a wireless format withwireless communication devices over wireless links 313. Base station 301and service node 304 exchange the user communications over the newtunnel. Service node 304 processes the user communications to provide acommunication service to the wireless communication devices. Note thatthe variations and features described above for Examples #1 and #2 mayalso apply to Example #3.

Base station 301 could be moved multiple times as needed. At each newlocation, base station 301 would establish new Internet connectivity,re-register with service node 304, and establish a new tunnel to servicenode 304. Thus, base station 301 could be moved to an area wherewireless communication services are temporarily required, and when thatdemand goes away, base station 301 could be moved to a new area with anew demand for wireless communication services.

For example, base station 301 may be moved to an NFL football stadium onSunday morning to provide added wireless communications capacity orcoverage during the football game that day. On Monday, base station 301could be moved to a convention center to provide added wirelesscommunications capacity or coverage during a conference that week.

To facilitate such movement, base station 301 may be relatively small,and should be configured in a portable package. In the context of theinvention, portable means that a person may physically carry the basestation from one location to another, and readily connect and disconnectthe power, communication, and control links.

Advantages

Communication systems 100-300 provide the following advantages (althoughall examples of the invention may not provide these advantages). Theproblematic cost and delay of using DS1 or DS3 connections tocommunicate between base stations and service nodes is avoided by usingInternet access technologies and the Internet. Internet access andconnectivity is lower in cost and more ubiquitous than DS1 or DS3connections.

The lower cost and ubiquity of Internet access allows base stations tobe placed in more areas to serve increasing demand. In addition,portable base stations may be quickly deployed and moved about to serveareas that require additional capacity or coverage for a temporaryamount of time.

1. A communication system comprising: a service node comprising a mobileswitching center, wherein the service node is configured to communicateover the Internet; a base station configured to establish Internetconnectivity over a communication link to the Internet, register withthe service node over the communication link and the Internet, establisha tunnel with the service node over the communication link and theInternet, exchange user communications with wireless communicationdevices in a wireless format, and exchange the user communications withthe service node over the tunnel; and wherein the service node isconfigured to validate the base station during registration, establishthe tunnel with the base station over the communication link and theInternet, exchange the user communications with the base station overthe tunnel, and process the user communications to provide acommunication service to the wireless communication devices.
 2. Thecommunication system of claim 1 wherein the communication link isasymmetrical to provide more bandwidth from the service node to the basestation than from the base station to the service node.
 3. Thecommunication system of claim 1 wherein the communication link comprisesan Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) link.
 4. Thecommunication system of claim 1 wherein the communication link comprisesa DOCSIS link.
 5. The communication system of claim 1 wherein thecommunication link comprises an 802.11 link.
 6. The communication systemof claim 1 wherein the communication link comprises an 802.16 link. 7.The communication system of claim 1 wherein the communication linkcomprises a Broadband over Power Line (BPL) link.
 8. The communicationsystem of claim 1 wherein the base station is omni-directional and hasno sectors.
 9. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the basestation has a maximum capacity of 20 simultaneous wireless communicationdevices.
 10. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the basestation has a maximum of three RF receive channels and three RF transmitchannels.
 11. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the basestation is configured to establish the Internet connectivity bylogging-in to an Internet service provider.
 12. The communication systemof claim 1 wherein the base station is configured to establish theInternet connectivity, register with the service node, and establish thetunnel based on a predetermined schedule, and to de-establish theInternet connectivity, de-register with the service node, andde-establish the tunnel based on the predetermined schedule.
 13. Thecommunication system of claim 1 wherein the base station is configuredto establish the Internet connectivity, register with the service node,and establish the tunnel in response to end-user activity, and tode-establish the Internet connectivity, de-register with the servicenode, and de-establish the tunnel based on a lack of the end-useractivity.
 14. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the basestation is portable.
 15. A method of operating a communication system,the method comprising: establishing Internet connectivity between a basestation and the Internet over a communication link, wherein a servicenode comprising a mobile switching center is configured to communicateover the Internet; registering the base station with the service nodeover the communication link and the Internet to validate the basestation; establishing a tunnel between the base station and the servicenode over the communication link and the Internet; exchanging usercommunications between the base station and wireless communicationdevices in a wireless format; exchanging the user communications betweenthe base station and the service node over the tunnel; and processingthe user communications in the service node to provide a communicationservice to the wireless communication devices.
 16. The method of claim15 wherein the communication link is asymmetrical to provide morebandwidth from the service node to the base station than from the basestation to the service node.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein thecommunication link comprises an Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line(ADSL) link.
 18. The method of claim 15 wherein the communication linkcomprises a DOCSIS link.
 19. The method of claim 15 wherein thecommunication link comprises an 802.11 link.
 20. The method of claim 15wherein the communication link comprises an 802.16 link.
 21. The methodof claim 15 wherein the communication link comprises a Broadband overPower Line (BPL) link.
 22. The method of claim 15 wherein the basestation is omni-directional and has no sectors.
 23. The method of claim15 wherein the base station has a maximum capacity of 20 simultaneouswireless communication devices.
 24. The method of claim 15 wherein thebase station has a maximum of three RF receive channels and three RFtransmit channels.
 25. The method of claim 15 wherein establishing theInternet connectivity comprises logging-in to an Internet serviceprovider.
 26. The method of claim 15 wherein establishing the Internetconnectivity, registering with the service node, and establishing thetunnel comprises doing so based on a predetermined schedule, and whereinde-establishing the Internet connectivity, de-registering with theservice node, and de-establishing the tunnel comprises doing so based onthe predetermined schedule.
 27. The method of claim 15 whereinestablishing the Internet connectivity, registering with the servicenode, and establishing the tunnel comprises doing so in response toend-user activity, and de-establishing the Internet connectivity,de-registering with the service node, and de-establishing the tunnelcomprises doing so based on a lack of the end-user activity.
 28. Themethod of claim 15 wherein the base station is portable.